This invention relates to a pipe heating apparatus.
As mentioned in applicant's Canadian Patent Application Serial No. 2,004,221-4, filed Nov. 29, 1989, it is common practice to apply a sleeve to a weld joint in a pipeline. The method involves the cleaning of the area surrounding the joint, uniformly preheating the area to a temperature specified by the heat shrink sleeve manufacturer, and heating the sleeve uniformly around the circumference thereof to heat shrink the sleeve onto the joint area. The success of the operation depends on uniform preheating, and controlled heating the sleeve while advancing the heater along the length of the sleeve, so that the sleeve shrinks into position on the pipeline without trapping air bubbles.
Other important considerations for the successful application of heat shrink sleeves to pipelines include the transporting of equipment from joint to joint, the stabilizing of the equipment in the area to be coated, and the ability to adapt the heating apparatus to a variety of pipe sizes.